My Version of Grandma's Obituary

Grandma died around 5 a.m. on 12/27. As I had suspected, Death was a friend and she slipped away quietly and without fanfare. I like to think that Grandpa was waiting for her and I did ask her to put in a good word should she see him since we never met. The funeral and burial is on Thursday.

My version of my grandmother's obituary would look something like this:

Claudia Marie Ammons nee Cowan was born in Jay, Oklahoma in 1924 to a spirited woman. Due to her father being a bit of a louse, Claudia's mother took her to live with her parents and went to work to provide for her child. She remarried and proceeded to have several more children, most of whom were adults before they were aware that their eldest sister had a different father. During WWII, Claudia worked in a factory building planes, where she met the love of her life, George M. Ammons (1916-1979). They married on Christmas Day 1947 and attended college together at Oklahoma Baptist University. They later adopted a son, Randy, and had two daughters, Trisha and Georgianna. Claudia followed George to California to take a position as minister at the First Baptist Church of Fontana, where they would remain until he died. Claudia worked as church secretary while raising their children.

Following the unexpected death of her husband, Claudia moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma where she and George had bought a house and planned to retire. She worked as preschool teacher for Immanual Baptist Church, where she taught a generation of children who would always speak of her fondly. Being a small woman, she had trouble changing her light bulbs, but found help in the nice Jehovah's Witness boys who came to her door. She worked to convert them as they assisted her. She never sat jury duty because she was certain the accused had some good reason for their crime.

Claudia passed away suddenly on December 27th. She is survived by three children who adore her and their spouses who are grateful for such a warm mother-in-law, as well as 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, all of whom she held in her arms as babies (including the one who was just born). She is also survived her sister-in-law (and oft partner in crime) Ina and her own sister Betty, who with her husband Curtis also has many children and grandchildren who think of "Aunt Claudia" as a rare breed of woman that each of us could only hope to try to be like. Finally, she is survived by scores of church goers, community members, children now grown and random strangers who have been touched by her life in a positive way. She does not leave behind those who might speak poorly of her, because no such people exist. She approached each day with love and gentleness, and left behind a more loved and gentle world.